Apparatus for simultaneously coating and measuring parts

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for simultaneously coating and measuring a part. The apparatus includes a part support, a sprayer and a part measurer positioned adjacent to the part support and a display device positioned adjacent to the part support. The sprayer applies a coating to a section of the part while the part measurer continuously measures a dimension of the section of the part being coated. In one embodiment, an initial amount of coating and a final amount of coating are applied to the section of the part based on the dimension measurements and desired dimension of the part. In another embodiment, the amount of coating applied to the part is based on the desired coating thickness. As a result, the apparatus and method of the present invention significantly reduces the margin of error related to the application of coatings to parts.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application relates to the following co-pending commonlyowned patent applications: “Apparatus and Method for Forming a Bondingon a Tapered Part,” Ser. No. 09/782,695, Attorney Docket No.0111339-010; and “Method for Simultaneously Coating and MeasuringParts,” Ser. No. ______, Attorney Docket No. 0111339-020.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates in general to a coating apparatusand specifically, to an apparatus and method for simultaneously coatingand measuring a part, and simultaneously coating the part based on thedesired dimension of the part, desired coating thickness or both thedesired dimension and coating thickness.

[0003] Several different types of parts are manufactured and assembledfor various industries. The parts are used on different types ofproducts, devices, equipment and machines. The characteristics of theparts vary based on the particular use for the parts. Some parts used incertain products, devices, equipment and machines are often subject tostress such as wear and heat. Eventually, certain parts break or becomeineffective after continuous and repeated use.

[0004] One method commonly used to increase the durability of the partssubject to various types of stresses during operation is to applyprotective coatings to the parts. Some coatings protect parts againstfriction or wear so that the parts are more durable and last longer inoperation. Other coatings enhance the aesthetic appearance of the parts.Coatings may be applied to the entire part or only applied to aparticular wall, portion or section of the part. The particular coating,and application of the coating, depends in part on the part and thecoating process requested or desired by the manufacturer of the part,purchaser of the part or user of the part.

[0005] Known coating apparatus coat several different types of partsincluding fabricated, molded and die-cast parts. Such parts aretypically manually placed on a part holder or support and then sprayedwith a coating. The part may be moved as necessary to coat the part orthe particular portions of the part. The vast majority of parts havedimensional tolerances or tolerance levels, and design specificationsthat limit the size (including all dimensions) of the part and theamount of coating, such as the maximum and minimum amount of the coatingthat may be applied to the part or any section, portion or dimension ofthe part. The maximum and minimum coating thicknesses for a part orparts are determined based on corrosion requirements and other similarquality or design parameters. The dimensional tolerances and designspecifications are determined from detailed calculations based on theparticular machine, equipment, product, device or industrial operationthat the part will be used in. Therefore, the part must be measured toensure that the part falls within and does not exceed the particulardimension tolerances and/or maximum and minimum coating thicknessesspecified for the part.

[0006] In one known process, non-coated parts are initially measured todetermine if they are within an acceptable dimensional range. Somenon-coated parts are too large and cannot be coated because the coatingwill make the parts larger than the upper dimensional limit of theparts, and unfit for use. Other non-coated parts are too small andcannot be coated because too much coating would have to be applied tothe parts in order to meet the predetermined dimensional tolerances.Such excessive coating on a part may become weak and may be prone tobreaking or causing the part to fail during operation. Such unusableparts are usually discarded or recycled. The parts that are within anacceptable dimensional range for coating are individually placed on apart support and sprayed or coated by a sprayer. The sprayer sprays orcoats the part with an amount of coating determined according to aparticular formula that is calculated, and often estimated, by theoperator or processor so that a reasonably sufficient amount of coatingis applied to the part to make the part within dimensional tolerances.In certain known coating systems, the amount of coating is notdetermined for each part, but rather for a group or lot of parts.Therefore, the amount of coating applied to each part may or may not bebased on the exact measurement of such part.

[0007] In other known coating systems, prior to coating the part, thepart is measured to determine if it is within acceptable dimensionalranges established for the part. If the part is within the acceptabledimension range, the amount of coating needed to coat the part toachieve the final product size is calculated and then applied to thepart. After the coating is applied, the part is measured to ensure thatthe part with the coating is still within the dimensional tolerancelimits and design specifications for the part. If the final part is notwithin the dimensional tolerance limits and design specifications forthe part, the part is discarded. If the part falls within the tolerancelimits and design specifications for the part, the part is removed fromthe part support and transported to the manufacturer, purchaser or userof the part.

[0008] One known problem with such known coating processes is that thecoating that is applied to the part is applied without any measurementstaken while the part is being coated. After completion of the coatingprocess, the part is measured to determine if it is within establisheddimensional tolerance levels and design specifications. If the coatedpart is not within the established tolerance levels and designspecifications, the part cannot be used for its intended purpose. If thepart is too large or too big, the part dimension cannot be reduced inorder to meet the desired design specifications. Similarly, if the partis too small after applying the coating, additional coating cannot beapplied because the original coating has dried and additional layers ofcoating would diminish the strength and durability of the part due topoor adhesion between the coating layers. Therefore, a significantmargin of error is introduced into or present in the known coatingprocesses based on the calculation of the amount of coating to beapplied to achieve the final product. The known coating processescalculate the total amount of coating needed to achieve the final partsize only at the beginning of the coating process and in certain systemsbased on measurements taken of a group or lot of parts instead ofindividually on the part to be coated. In such case, all of thecalculated amount of coating is applied to the part. Applying a largeamount of coating to the part is less accurate than applying a smalleramount of coating because the margin of error is greater.

[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for a coating apparatus and methodthat accurately measures a part size and/or the maximum and minimumcoating thicknesses of a part while coating the part so that the part iscoated with greater accuracy, consistency and efficiency, which reducesthe overall number of unusable coated parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention provides a coating apparatus and method andmore specifically a coating apparatus and method which measures a part,applies a coating to the part based on such measurement and continuouslymeasures the part during the coating process.

[0011] One embodiment of the coating apparatus and method of the presentinvention includes a frame, a part support positioned adjacent to theframe, a sprayer connected to the frame and positioned adjacent to thepart support, a part measurer connected to the frame and positionedadjacent to the part support, a processor that receives the measurementsrecorded by the part measurer and calculates the particular dimension ofthe part before and as the part is being coated by the sprayer and adisplay device that displays the part dimension or size to an operatorbefore, after and during the coating process. In one embodiment, thecoating method of the present invention applies an initial amount ofcoating and then a final amount of coating to the part. Applying thecoating in two steps and in one embodiment applying a smaller finalamount of coating, reduces the margin of error associated with thecoating process which increases the accuracy of the coating process.

[0012] In one embodiment, the part support receives and holds the partduring the measuring and coating process and rotates or otherwise movesthe part as needed to ensure that the part or the portion or section ofthe part to be coated is sufficiently and equally coated by the sprayer.The part support is mounted on a housing which encloses a motor. Themotor is mounted in the housing and causes the part support to rotate orotherwise move. The motor housing is secured to the frame to maintainthe position of the part during the coating process. In anotherembodiment, the part support includes a conveyor which is positionedadjacent to the frame and adapted to hold and transport a plurality ofparts. The conveyor transports each part to be coated by the sprayer.The conveyor then transports the parts to other processes which makesthe coating process fully automated.

[0013] In one presently preferred embodiment, the part measurer issecured to the frame and includes a laser generator and a laserreceiver. In one embodiment, the laser generator is a laser scanmicrometer. However, the laser generator may be any suitable lasergenerator. The laser generator generates a continuous laser beam whichincludes a plurality of rays which are projected onto the part andspecifically on the dimension of the part to be coated. In one preferredembodiment, the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted inprotective housings. Each housing preferably includes a transparentremovable section or member which enables the laser beam to pass throughthe section while protecting the laser generator and laser receiver fromoverspray. Certain portions of the laser beam or certain rays of thelaser beam pass by the part and are received by the laser receiver.Other portions of the beam or certain rays are blocked by the part andare not received by the laser receiver. The laser receiver generateselectrical signals based on the received portions of the laser beam. Thesignals are communicated to the processor which calculates themeasurement of the dimension the part based on which rays are blockedand which rays are received by the laser receiver. The measurement datais communicated to the display device and displayed to an operator. Inone embodiment, the operator may choose the type of information that isdisplayed on the display screen of the display device, such as the upperand lower dimension tolerance levels for the part.

[0014] In one presently preferred embodiment, an exhaust duct ispositioned on the side of the part support opposite the sprayer. Theexhaust duct generates a vacuum or suctioning affect, which suctions andcaptures excessive spray or overspray generated by the sprayer which isnot applied to the part. The exhaust duct may be any suitable type ofexhaust duct.

[0015] In one presently preferred embodiment, the coating apparatusincludes air movers positioned adjacent to the housings for the lasergenerator and the laser receiver to direct air across the transparentsections of the housing. This minimizes the amount of overspray from thesprayer that accumulates on the surfaces of the transparent sections ofthe housings of the laser generator and the laser receiver. Suchaccumulated coatings would eventually obstruct the laser beam generatedby the laser generator and affect the measurement of the parts. In onepreferred embodiment, the protective transparent members, plates orpanels such as glass plates are slideably connected to the housings ofthe laser generator and the laser receiver. It should be appreciatedthat the air movers may alternatively suction air to remove the excesscoating from the vicinity of the glass plates.

[0016] One embodiment of the method of the present invention generallyincludes the steps described below. The part is initially measured todetermine if the part is within a particular range of acceptabledimensions or sizes for the parts. To take the measurement, the lasergenerator generates a laser beam which is directed at the part. Thelaser receiver receives the unblocked portions of the laser beam andconverts this information into electrical signals. The electricalsignals are communicated to the processor, which calculates thedimension or size measurement of the part and/or the coating thicknessof the coating on the part. If the part is unacceptable (i.e., the partsize or coating thickness is not within an acceptable range) a prompt isprovided to the user and the part is removed and discarded or recycledas necessary. If the part size and/or coating thickness is within anacceptable range, the measurement is communicated to the display device,which displays the measurement information to the operator. In a fullyautomated embodiment, the measurement is communicated to a robot (i.e.,processor) or other processor, which controls the operation of theapparatus. In the semi-automated embodiment described above, theoperator presses or activates an input such as a start button or pedalto initiate the coating process. After the input is activated, theprocessor turns the sprayer on and begins to coat the part. Once thepart achieves the desired size, dimension and/or coating thickness forthe part, the sprayer is shut off and the coated part is transported toanother manufacturing area for further processing.

[0017] The coating may be applied in one or more steps using one or morespray guns to apply the coating or coatings to the part. In onepresently preferred embodiment of the present invention, the coating isapplied to the part in two steps. First, an initial amount of coating iscalculated and applied to the part. The initial amount of coating ispreferably greater than half of the total amount of coating applied tothe part. In one embodiment, a significant percentage of the totalcoating such as approximately ninety-five percent of the total coatingis first applied to the part. The part is then measured and a finalamount of coating is calculated and applied to the part. The finalamount of coating is a smaller amount and therefore, the margin of errorin calculating the amount of coating to be applied is significantlysmaller. By coating the part in two sequential coating steps, thepresent invention significantly reduces the margin of error or deviationbetween the final part size and the desired part size.

[0018] In another embodiment, the coating is applied to the part basedon the desired dimension for the part. In this embodiment, the sprayerapplies a coating to the part while the part measurer measures thedimension of the part being coated. The sprayer continues to apply thecoating to the part until a predetermined dimension is achieved for thepart. At this point, a final amount of coating is calculated and appliedto the part as described above. The sprayer applies the final amount ofcoating to the part while the part measurer measures the part until thedesired dimension is achieved.

[0019] In a further embodiment, the sprayer applies the coating to thepart while the part measurer measures the part until the final desireddimension is achieved for the part. Therefore, the coating is applied tothe part until the part measurer measures the desired dimension for thepart.

[0020] In another embodiment, the coating is applied based on thedesired thickness of a coating applied to the part. The coating isapplied to the part while the part measurer measures the thickness ofthe coating on the part. When a desired coating thickness is achieved,the sprayer shuts off and the part is transported for furtherprocessing.

[0021] In a further embodiment, one or more coatings are applied to apart using a plurality of sprayers or spray guns. In one aspect of thisembodiment, three sprayers are directed at a section of a part to becoated and the sprayers apply a base coating or primer, a middle coatingor midcoat and a final coating or topcoat to the section of the part.The coatings are applied to the part separately while the part measurersimultaneously measures the thickness of each of the coatings as thecoatings are applied to the part. The processor receives the coatingthickness measurements for each of the coatings from the part measurerand controls the sprayers to apply a predetermined amount of each of thecoatings to the part.

[0022] In one embodiment, the coating apparatus measures and coats onlyone portion of a part such as the outer surface of the part. In anotherembodiment, the part support moves the part in different directions suchas upwards and downwards, so that more than one portion of a part can bemeasured and coated. In this embodiment, a shield may be employed toprotect the other sections of the part from being coated.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the part is manuallyplaced and removed from the part support in the coating apparatus andmethod of the present invention. In another embodiment, the part isplaced on a part support which includes a conveyer which transports thepart. In a further embodiment, the part is mechanically placed andremoved from the part support such as by a robotic arm or similar devicein the coating apparatus of the present invention. The present apparatusand method significantly enhances the productivity and production ratesfor manufacturing lines that coat parts because less time is needed tomanually move and measure the parts.

[0024] It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to providean apparatus and method for coating a part that simultaneously coats andmeasures the part.

[0025] It is another advantage of the present invention to provide anapparatus and method that significantly enhances coating accuracy.

[0026] It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide anapparatus and method that provides consistent coating of parts.

[0027] It is another advantage of the present invention to provide asystem and method that increases the coating efficiency related tocoating parts.

[0028] Additional features and advantages of the present invention aredescribed in and will be apparent from, the following DetailedDescription of the Invention and the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0029]FIG. 1A is a perspective view of one embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0030]FIG. 1B is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1A.

[0031]FIG. 2A is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0032]FIG. 2B is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 2A.

[0033]FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the coatingmethod of the present invention.

[0034]FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of thecoating method of the present invention.

[0035]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 where theoutside diameter of a part is measured as the part is coated by thesprayer.

[0036]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

[0037]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the motor housing andpart support having a part mounted on the part support.

[0038]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the laser generator and air moverof FIG. 1 where the air mover is directing air across the front surfaceof the laser generator.

[0039]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the sprayer, motor housing, partsupport, part and exhaust duct of FIG. 1 where the part is being coatedby the sprayer.

[0040]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lineIX-IX of FIG. 1 illustrating the laser generator and the laser receiver.

[0041]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the laser generator of FIG. 1showing a removable glass panel slideably connected to the front of thehousing of the laser generator.

[0042]FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the air moversof the present invention.

[0043]FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the sprayers ofthe present invention.

[0044]FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the dimension tolerancelimits of a particular part.

[0045]FIG. 14 is an enlarged elevation view of one embodiment of adisplay screen on a display device in the present invention.

[0046]FIG. 15 is a graphical representation of the amount of coatingapplied to a part versus the coating application time.

[0047]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention where the apparatus includes multiple sprayers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 9, one embodiment of the coatingapparatus 100 of the present invention is illustrated. The apparatus 100includes a frame, housing, or support 101, a part support 103 connectedto the frame for holding a part 102, a sprayer 120 connected to theframe for applying a coating to the part, and a part measurer 117 formeasuring a dimension of the part. The frame 101 preferably includes asuitable surface that can support the apparatus of the presentinvention. In one embodiment, the frame 101 is stationary and secured toa bench or tabletop (not shown). In another embodiment, the frame 101 istransportable so that the frame can be used at remote locations.

[0049] The part support 103 includes a housing 104, which is connectedto the frame 101 using suitable fasteners or in other conventionalmanners (not shown). The housing 104 encloses a suitable motor (notshown), which in one embodiment provides power to the spindle 106 torotate or otherwise move the spindle. The spindle 106 is formed to holdor support the part 102. In one embodiment, the spindle includes amounting surface shown in FIG. 9. The part 102 is placed onto andsecured to the surface so that the part does not move or disengage thespindle 106. In operation, the spindle 106 may move in any suitabledirection as needed for coating the part. In one embodiment, spindle 106rotates in a counterclockwise direction, which in turn rotates the part102 in a counterclockwise direction. It should be appreciated that thespindle 106 may rotate in a clockwise direction, counter-clockwisedirection or any sequence or combination of directions. The spindle 106may also move up and down or in other directions for coating differentsections of the part having different dimensions. In one embodiment, thepart support moves or rotates the part and only one portion or dimensionof the part 102 is coated by the sprayer. In another embodiment, thepart support moves upwards, downwards or in any desired direction tocoat more than one portion of a part. In this embodiment, a shield orpanel (not shown) is secured to the housing 104 and positioned adjacentto the part on the part support to prevent the shielded portions of thepart from being coated.

[0050] In another embodiment of the present invention illustrated inFIGS. 2A and 2B, the part 102 is supported by the spindle 106 which isattached to and transported on a conveyor 107. The part is manually ormechanically placed onto the spindle 106 on the conveyor. The conveyorthen transports the part between the laser generator and the laserreceiver. The part is coated by the sprayer 120 while the lasergenerator and laser receiver measure the dimension being coated on thepart. The conveyor 107 then transports the coated part to othermanufacturing areas such as to an oven or kiln which cures the coatingon the part. As a result, all of the components of the apparatus andmethod of the present invention are fully automated and adapted tosequentially coat a plurality of parts.

[0051] In one presently preferred embodiment, a coater such as sprayer120 is positioned adjacent to the spindle 106. The sprayer may be anysuitable sprayer and may emit any suitable type of spray such as liquidspray, powder spray, airless spray, air-assisted spray or anycombination therein. The sprayer 120 applies a coating to the part or aportion of the part as the part is moved by the spindle on the partsupport. It should be appreciated that any suitable sprayer 120, whichpreferably provides an atomized spray coating, may be used in thepresent system, such as a pneumatic automatic spray gun manufactured byPaasche Airbrush Company. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, thesprayer 120 includes a housing 155, which is secured to the frame 101 bysupport post 158. In one alternative embodiment, the support post isadjustable so that the sprayer is able to coat different portions of apart.

[0052] A nozzle 156 extends from the housing 155 to direct the coatingemitted from the sprayer 120 towards the part or portion of the partthat is being coated. The nozzle 156 is preferably removable from thesprayer housing 155 so that the nozzle can be cleaned or replaced asneeded. The nozzle 156 is secured to the housing 155 using suitablefasteners such as conventional co-acting threaded members. It should beappreciated that several different types of nozzles may be used in thesprayer 120 for different types of coating applications.

[0053] In another embodiment, two sprayers 120 are employed in theapparatus of the present invention. The sprayer's are connected to theframe and positioned adjacent to the part. In this embodiment, eachsprayer may have a different output rate. The output rates may differbased on the amount of coating being applied to the part. The firstsprayer coats the part using a high pressure to apply an initial or baseamount of coating to the part. The second sprayer coats the part using alower pressure to apply the final amount of coating. The pressure usedto apply the final amount of coating is less than the pressure used toapply the initial amount of coating because the final amount of coatingis a smaller amount. The lower pressure enables the operator and/or theprocessor (i.e., computer) to control the sprayer and therefore, thesecond sprayer applies the coating with greater accuracy.

[0054] In a further embodiment, two or more sprayers 120 are used toapply multiple coatings to a section of a part. As shown in FIGS. 16Aand 16B, three sprayers 120 a, 120 b and 120 c are positioned adjacentto the part 102 to apply separate coatings to the part. In this example,sprayer 120 a applies a primer or base coating to the section of thepart. Next, sprayer 120 b applies a mid-coat or middle coating to theprimer layer. Finally, sprayer 120 c applies a top coat or final coatingto the mid-coat layer. Each sprayer may be independently controlled toapply the coatings at the same or different rates. Additionally, thesprayers may be positioned in any suitable position in relation to thepart. The part measurer measures the thicknesses of each of the coatinglayers as the layers are applied to the part and communicates thecoating thickness measurements to the processor, which controls thesprayers. Thus, the overall dimension of the section of the part beingcoated and/or the thicknesses of the coating layers may be controlled byan operator or processor. It should be appreciated that any suitablenumber of sprayers and coatings may be employed by the presentapparatus. It should also be appreciated that the measurement of thecoating may be based on the measurement of the part prior to coating,during coating and after coating.

[0055] In a further embodiment, a single sprayer 120 having twodifferent output rates is used to coat the part. The output rates areadjusted or changed by adjusting a dial or other suitable control on thesprayer. The control may be adjusted manually or by a processor. Itshould be appreciated that one or more sprayers may be employed in thepresent apparatus and several different output rates may be used asdesired.

[0056] A suitable coating is transported to the sprayer 120 usingcoating communication line 121 a, which is connected to the frontportion of the housing 155. The coating communication line 121 atransports or communicates coatings from a coating storage tank orcontainer (not shown), which stores the coating. The coating movesthrough the coating communication line 121 a into the housing 155. Thecoating then fills the interior of the housing 155 to enable the sprayerto emit a continuous flow of coating onto a part. Similarly, an aircommunication line 121 b transports or communicates pressurized airgenerated by an air generator such as an air compressor to the housing155. The pressurized air and coating are simultaneously delivered to thehousing 155 and mix inside the housing. The air and coating mixture areemitted from the nozzle 156 as an atomized spray partially due to thepressure created by the compressed air. It should be appreciated thatthe coating communication line 121 a and the air communication line 121b may be manufactured with any suitable tubing that can withstand thepressures of the coating and air inside the tubing during operation ofthe coating apparatus.

[0057] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 9 and 10, in one preferredembodiment of the present apparatus, the part measurer 117 includes alaser generator 110 and a laser receiver 108. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,the laser generator 110 is positioned on one side of the part support103 and the laser receiver 108 is positioned on the opposing side of thepart support 103. The laser generator 110 and the laser receiver 108 arealigned and secured to the frame 101. In one preferred embodiment, thelaser generator 110 is mounted in a housing 113 that is connected bysupport arms 111 a and 111 b to the frame 101. Each support arm 111 aand 111 b is connected on opposite sides of the housing. The top of thesupport arms 111 a and 111 b are secured to the bottom of the housing113, and the bottom of the support arms 111 a and 111 b are secured tothe frame 101. The support arms are made of a suitable material thatwill support and maintain the stability of the laser generator 110. Thesupport arms 111 a and 111 b secure the laser generator 110 in positionon the frame 101 so that the laser generator remains stationary duringoperation.

[0058] As illustrated in FIG. 9, in one preferred embodiment, the lasergenerator 110 includes a laser scan micrometer, such as the LS-5001laser scan micrometer manufactured by Keyence Corporation, and ismounted inside the housing 113. A support base 162 is connected betweenthe laser scan micrometer and the bottom interior surface of the housing113 to secure the laser scan micrometer inside the housing. It should beappreciated that the laser scan micrometer may be a free standing devicethat is positioned and secured inside the housing 113 without a supportbase 162. The laser scan micrometer is positioned inside the housing 113so that a laser beam generated by the laser scan micrometer is projectedat the proper height and position to contact the part. Opening 163 b isformed in the housing 113 so that the laser beam generated by the laserscan micrometer is emitted from the housing 113 towards the laserreceiver 108 without being obstructed by the housing.

[0059] The laser receiver 108 is connected to the frame 101 andmanufactured similar to the laser generator 110. The laser receiver 108is mounted in a housing 115 which is connected to a pair of support arms109 a and 109 b. The support arms 109 a and 109 b are connected toopposite sides of the bottom of the housing 115. The bottom portions ofthe support arms 109 a and 109 b are secured to the frame 101 in asuitable manner. The laser receiver 108 is positioned inside the housing115 and is supported by the support base 166. The support base isconnected between the laser receiver and the housing 115. The laserreceiver 108 is positioned so that it is vertically and horizontallyaligned with the laser generator 110 or laser scan micrometer. Opening163 a is formed in the front surfaces of the housing 115 to enable thelaser beam generated by the laser scan micrometer to be received by thelaser receiver 108.

[0060] In one embodiment, channels 146 a and 146 b are formed in the topand bottom portions of housings 113 and 115 near the front surfaces ofthe housings. The channels are formed to enable transparent sections ormembers such as glass plates 112 a and 112 b to be slideably insertedinto the channels 146A and 146 b in the front of housings 113 and 115,respectively. The glass plates 112 a and 112 b cover the front surfacesof the housings and protect the laser generator 110 and laser receiver108 from being coated by excess spray from sprayer 120 that does notadhere to the part or from being damaged during operation. The glassplates 112 a and 112 b are removable and can be cleaned as necessary.The plates are also transparent to allow the laser beam to pass throughthe plates. It should be appreciated that other suitable transparentmaterials may be used as desired by the manufacturer.

[0061] In operation, the laser generator 110 such as the laser scanmicrometer generates a laser beam that comprises several parallelextending rays which are horizontally projected at the level of the part102. The laser beam is preferably wider than the part that is beingmeasured as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the laser beam138 is projected onto part 102 to measure the outer surface or outerdiameter of part 102 before, after and as the outer surface is beingcoated by sprayer 120. The portions of the laser beam 138 that are notblocked by part 102 proceed towards the beam receiver 106 as illustratedin FIGS. 4 and 5. The distance between the unblocked portions of therays represent the outer dimension or diameter of the part 102. The beamreceiver 164 detects and converts the received or unblocked portions ofthe laser beam to electrical signals. The electrical signals are thencommunicated or transferred to the processor (not shown) which performsa calculation of the measured dimension of the part based on the signal.

[0062] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, in one presently preferredembodiment, an exhaust duct 128 is generally positioned on the opposingside of the part support 103 from the sprayer 120. The coating emittedby the sprayer is directed onto the part and any excess is directedtowards the exhaust duct. The exhaust duct 128 is positioned adjacent tothe part support 103 without obstructing the laser beam generated by thelaser generator 110. An exhauster such as a pump (not shown) isconnected to the exhaust duct 128 and creates a negative air pressure orsuctioning effect at the inlet of the duct 128, which is adjacent to thepart support 103. The exhaust duct 128 captures and removes excesscoating such as coating overspray from the sprayer that does not adhereto the part during the coating process. The excess coating collected bythe exhaust duct 128 is recycled or discarded. A filter (not shown) maybe secured inside the exhaust duct 128 to capture the solid material ofthe coating.

[0063] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 11, in one preferred embodiment,air movers 122 a and 122 b are positioned adjacent to the lasergenerator 110 and laser receiver 108 to direct air across the workingsurfaces of each component and minimize the amount of excess spray oroverspray that collects on the glass plates 112 a and 112 b of thehousings for the laser generator and laser receiver. If a significantamount of coating adheres to the glass plates of the laser generator andlaser receiver, such coating will obstruct the laser beam generated orreceived and thereby, creates inaccurate measurements of the part.Because the air movers 122 a and 122 b are identical, only air mover 122b will be described in detail herein. It should be appreciated that thecomponents and functions of air mover 122 a correspond to those of airmover 122 b, which is described below.

[0064] Air mover 122 b is positioned adjacent to a working surface ofthe laser generator 110 and is connected to the frame 101 by suitablefasteners. The air mover includes an air director or housing 151 and avalve 154. The air director housing 151 is secured to a bracket 148. Avertical support arm 124, which includes an integral support ring 152,is connected to the frame 101 on one end. The support ring 152 isadapted to receive a horizontal support arm 150. One end of thehorizontal support arm 150 slides through the support ring 152 onvertical support arm 124. The slideable support arm 150 enables a userto adjust the position of the air mover 122 b in relation to the lasergenerator. Once the position of the air mover is set, suitable fastenersare used to secure the support arm in place within the support ring 152.The other end of the support arm 150 is connected to the mountingbracket 148, which is connected to the housing 151. An air communicationline 126 is connected to the valve 154 of the air mover 122 b. The aircommunication line 126 is made of suitable tubing to withstand the airpressure within the tubing. The air is transported from an air generatorsuch as the air compressor described above, to the valve 154. The valve154 may be a solenoid or other actuator that opens and closes toregulate and control the amount of air that is directed from air mover122 b.

[0065] In one presently preferred embodiment, a monitor or displaydevice 130 is positioned on the frame 101 so that a user can view thedimension measurements of a part before, after and during the coatingoperation. The monitor 130 is connected to the processor (not shown)using suitable wires or cables and displays the dimensional measurementsof the part calculated by the processor. The monitor enables a user toinstantaneously and continuously view the measurements of one or moredimensions of part 102 as the part is being coated and measured by thepresent apparatus. It should be appreciated that any suitable monitorsuch as a computer monitor may be used to display the dimensionmeasurement data to a user. The monitor displays the dimensionmeasurements to the user on screen 132.

[0066] Referring now to FIG. 14, one example of the information that canbe entered and displayed on the monitor 130 is illustrated. In thisexample, the screen 132 on monitor 130 displays the dimensionalmeasurement 170 of a particular dimension of the part 102. The screencan also display the dimensional tolerance levels for a particulardimension of the part such as the upper tolerance level 172 and thelower tolerance level 174. Additionally, other user selectable optionscan be displayed on the screen 130. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the usercan change what type of information is displayed by using controlselections 176. It should be appreciated that any suitable type ofselection, dimension measurement or other criteria related to thecoating and measurement of a part can be displayed on the screen 132 ofmonitor 130.

[0067] The apparatus of the present invention is used to coat a part 102to achieve a final part or final product that meets predetermineddimensional design specifications established by the manufacturer. Thefinal product, such as cylindrical part 102 shown in FIG. 13, has anupper dimension tolerance level 164, which is the largest acceptabledimension for the particular part after the part has been coated by theapparatus, and a lower dimension tolerance level 162, which is theminimum acceptable dimension for the particular finished part after thepart has been coated by the apparatus. The dimension tolerance levelsare generally the upper and lower acceptable dimension sizes of thepart. The design specifications or tolerance levels may also be based onthe thickness of one or more of the coatings applied to the part. In oneembodiment, a target dimension or size 160 is established for each part.The target dimension 160 is the desired dimension of the finished parts,after coating, including any dimension adjustment due to heating anddrying the coating on the part. In some parts, the difference betweenthe upper and lower tolerance levels is very small (i.e., onethousandths of a centimeter) whereas in other parts there is a greaterdifference between the upper and lower tolerance levels. The dimensiontolerance levels and the part sizes depend on the particular use of thepart.

[0068] The goal therefore, is to coat the part so that the final coatedpart is within the acceptable dimension tolerance levels (i.e., betweenthe upper and lower tolerance levels) and/or coating thicknessspecifications established for the part and in particular to achieve theoptimal dimension size 160 and/or specified coating thicknesses for thepart. As an example, the desired dimension of the part 102 may be adimension “X” as shown in FIG. 13. An upper tolerance level 164 isdetermined as (X+Y), where Y is a predetermined amount of acceptabledimension variance from the optimal dimension X for the part. Theacceptable amount of variance is determined by the manufacturer based onthe use of the part. Similarly, a lower tolerance level 162 isdetermined which, in this case, is the dimension (X−Z) where Z is theacceptable amount of dimension variance for the part. The manufactureror operator therefore coats the part 102 so that the dimension of thefinished part is between the lower tolerance level (X−Z) and the uppertolerance level (X+Y). Again, optimally, the dimension of the finishedpart is approximately equal to the desired size 160 for the part, whichis the dimension X.

[0069] Referring now to FIGS. 3A, 4, 5 and 9, one embodiment of themethod of the present invention is illustrated where a part 102 iscoated by the sprayer 120 based on a desired final dimension for thepart. In this embodiment, the part is coated with an initial amount ofcoating and a final amount of coating. In the preferred embodiment, theinitial amount of coating is greater than the final amount of coating.As described above, applying large amounts of coating to a part producesa greater margin of error. On the contrary, applying smaller amounts ofcoating to a part reduces the margin of error significantly. Forexample, applying a large amount of coating to a part, such as 95% to100% of the total amount of coating, may include a margin of error suchas plus or minus 2% to 3%. Applying a small amount of coating to thepart may include the same margin or error, but because the amount issmaller the relative margin of error is smaller, such as plus or minus0.02% to 0.03%. Given the above margin of error and that prior knowncoating processes usually apply all of the coating (i.e., 100% of thecoating) to the part at one time, the final amount of coating actuallyapplied to the part, including the margin of error, ends up beingbetween 97% to 103% of the calculated amount of coating to be applied tothe part. This range of error is especially problematic when the upperdimensional tolerance is exceeded. The result in several parts beingdiscarded as waste because the parts do not fit within the tolerancelevels.

[0070] In the present method, however, a smaller amount of coating isapplied in a second or final step. By applying a smaller amount ofcoating in the second step based on the measurement of the coatingapplied in the first step, the present method reduces the relativemargin of error in coating the part. Additionally, in the present methodthe total calculated amount of coating is based on the desired or targetdimension for the coated part. In order to ensure that too much coatingis not applied to the part, the sprayer shuts off when the amount ofcoating applied to the part is within a predetermined percentage of thetotal calculated amount of coating such as 0.01% to 2%. For example, if95% of the total amount of coating is applied to the part in the initialstep, then the actual amount of coating applied to the part will bebetween 92% and 98%, taking into account a margin of error of plus orminus 3%. Therefore, in the second step or final step, only 2% to 8% ofthe total amount of coating needs to be applied to the part to achievethe desired dimension for the part. Again, using a margin of error ofplus or minus 3% for the final amount of coating and that the sprayershuts off when approximately 99.98% to 99.99% of the total amount ofcoating is applied to the part, the total amount of coating applied tothe part will be approximately between 99.94% (i.e., 3% of 2%) to 99.99%Thus, the present method reduces the relative margin of error withrespect to the calculated amount of coating that is applied to the partand the final part size, and thereby significantly improves the accuracyassociated with the coating method.

[0071] Referring now to FIG. 3A, the one method of the present inventionincludes the following steps. The part 102 is placed on the spindle 106on the part support 103 as indicated by block 200. Next, a laser beam138 is generated by the laser generator 110 and projected onto the part102 to measure the part as indicated by block 202. Specific rays orportions of the laser beam are blocked by the part while the unblockedrays or portions of the laser beam are received by the laser receiver108. The received laser beam, rays or portions are converted intoelectrical signals and communicated to the processor. The electricalsignals indicate the distance between the unblocked portions of thelaser beam or the size of the dimension of the part to be coated. Theprocessor receives the signals and calculates an initial amount ofcoating to apply to the part based on the initial dimension or size ofthe part received from the laser receiver and the desired size of thepart as indicated by block 204. The calculation preferably includes anadjustment factor, which accounts for the change in size of the coatedpart that occurs when the part dries or cures. In one embodiment, theinitial amount of coating is greater than the final amount of coatingfor the reasons described above. In another embodiment, the initialamount of coating is a significant percentage of the total amount ofcoating such as approximately 95% of the total amount of coating. Itshould be appreciated that the initial amount of coating may be anysuitable amount or suitable percentage of the total amount of coatingwhich reduces the margin of error associated with the coating method. Itshould also be appreciated that multiple measurements of the part ordimension of the part may be made. For instance, the part may be rotatedto take more than one dimension measurement.

[0072] Once the initial amount of coating is calculated by theprocessor, the operator presses an input such as a button on a controlpanel (not shown), which starts the coating process. Alternatively, in afully automated apparatus, the processor communicates with the sprayersand other automated components of the apparatus to begin the coatingprocess. The motor (not shown) in housing 104 is connected to thespindle 106 and rotates the spindle, which in turn rotates the part asindicated by block 204. As the part rotates, the sprayer 120simultaneously receives the coating through coating communication line121 a and pressurized air through air communication line 121 b. Thecoating and air enter the nozzle portion of the sprayer 120 and the airforces the coating out of the nozzle as an atomized spray. The sprayer120 applies the coating to the outer surface of the part 102 while thepart is simultaneously measured by the part measurer 117 as indicated byblock 208. Air movers 122 a and 122 b direct air delivered via aircommunication lines 126 a and 126 b across the working surfaces of thehousings holding the laser generator 110 and laser receiver 108. The airmovers minimize the amount of overspray or excess coating from thesprayer that accumulates and coats the working surfaces of the housingsholding the laser generator and laser receiver during the coatingprocess. Thus, the air movers prevent or minimize the obstruction of thelaser beam due to coating accumulation on the working surfaces of thehousings holding the laser generator and the laser receiver.

[0073] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, as the coating is applied to the part102 by sprayer 120, the outside diameter of the part increases andthereby blocks more of the laser beam 138 as the laser beam passes bythe part 102. Thus, the portion of the beam received by the beamreceiver 164 decreases in direct proportion to the amount of coatingthat is applied to the part and the distance between the unblockedportions of the laser beam increases. As a result, the processorcontinuously calculates a larger dimension measurement for the partbeing coated as the part is coated by the sprayer.

[0074] The processor communicates the dimension measurements to thedisplay device 130, which displays the measurements on screen 132. As aresult, the user or operator can continuously monitor the dimension ofthe section of the part as the section is coated by sprayer 120. Thisenables the user to know when the part is within the predetermined upperand lower tolerance levels for the part. In one embodiment, theprocessor delivers a prompt to the user or operator when the size of thepart is within the upper and lower tolerance levels. The prompt may bean audio prompt, visual prompt or any other suitable prompt. Once theinitial amount of coating is applied to the part 102, the processorsignals the part support to stop moving the part 102 and also signalsthe sprayer 120 to stop coating the part as indicated by block 210 inFIG. 3.

[0075] The final amount of coating to finish coating the section of thepart is calculated by the processor based on the difference between thefinal desired part size and the present size of the part including theinitial amount of coating applied to the part as indicated by block 212.The sprayer 120 applies the final amount of coating to the part whilesimultaneously measuring the part as indicated by block 214. Whenapproximately 99.98 to 99.99% of the final amount of coating is appliedto the part, the processor signals the part support to stop moving thepart and the sprayer to stop applying coating to the part as indicatedby block 216. The coated part is removed from the part support asindicated by block 218 and the coating on the part is cured using asuitable curing method such as heating the coated part in an oven asindicated by block 220. When the coating on the part has cured, the partis placed in storage for use or shipping at a later time as indicated byblock 222.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 15, a graph illustrates the coating method ofthe embodiment described above. The graph plots the amount of coatingapplied to the part, which is indicated on the vertical axis, versus thetime needed to apply the coating to the part, which is indicated on thehorizontal axis. The initial amount of coating is applied to a dimensionof the part as indicated by plateau 178 on the graph. Then, the finalamount of coating is calculated by the processor and applied to the partto achieve the desired part size as indicated by plateau 180. The graphfurther illustrates the difference between the initial amount of coatingand the final amount of coating applied to the part, which significantlyimproves the coating accuracy of the present method.

[0077] Referring now to FIGS. 3B, 4, 5 and 9, another embodiment of themethod of the present invention is illustrated where a section or aportion of a part is coated. In this embodiment, the part 102 is placedon the part support 103 as indicated by block 300. The operator startsthe apparatus by pressing a button, pedal or similar device as describedabove. The part is rotated on the part support as indicated by block302. Then, the section of the part being coated is simultaneouslysprayed by the sprayer and continuously measured by the part measurer117 until an initial predetermined dimension, such as approximately 95%of desired dimension, is measured for that section. When the initialdimension is measured by the part measurer, the sprayer stops applyingcoating to the part as indicated by block 306. The processor thencalculates a final amount of coating to apply to the section of the partas described above, to achieve the final part dimension or desireddimension of the section as indicated by block 307. The part is rotatedagain and the sprayer and part measurer simultaneously coat and measurethe section of the part as indicated by block 308. When approximately99.98 to 99.99% of the final amount of coating has been applied to thesection of the part, the part support stops rotating the part asindicated by block 310. The part is removed from the part support asindicated by block 312 and sent to another manufacturing area for curingas indicated by block 314. The part is then stored for use or shippingas indicated by block 316.

[0078] In a further embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3C, the sprayerapplies a coating to the section of the part being coated while the partmeasurer continuously measures the section of the part being coateduntil the final dimension or desired dimension of the section has beenmeasured by the part measurer. In this embodiment, the part is placed onthe part support and rotated as indicated by blocks 400 and 402. Thesprayer applies a coating to the section of the part while the dimensionof the section is continuously measured by the part measurer asindicated by block 404. The sprayer continues to apply the coating tothe section of the part until the desired dimension of the section ismeasured by the part measurer as indicated by block 406. The rotation ofthe part support is stopped and the part is removed from the partsupport as indicated by blocks 408 and 410. The coating on the part isthen cured and the part is placed in storage for further processing asindicated by blocks 412 and 414.

[0079] In one embodiment, the parts are manually placed on and removedfrom the part support 103 such as the spindle 106 or the conveyor 107.This requires an operator to receive the part from the processing areaand then manually place the part on part support 103. Similarly, theoperator manually removes the part from the part support after the parthas been coated and then sends the part for further processing. Inanother embodiment, a robotic device, such as a robotic arm (not shown),receives the part from the processing area via an operator or mechanicaldevice such as a conveyor belt, and mechanically places the part on thepart support 103. The mechanical handling of the part increases theefficiency and speed of the process and minimizes the amount of humancontact with the part. Thus, the parts can be produced efficiently andquickly with minimal physical handling of the part during processing.The robotic device removes the part after it is coated and transports itto another manufacturing area for further processing.

[0080] In another embodiment of the invention, the parts arepre-measured or measured prior to coating the parts, to determine if thedimension or dimensions of the parts are within a range of acceptabledimensions or sizes. In one aspect, the parts are grouped in lots orbatches and a representative sample of the parts is measured todetermine if the entire lot or batch is within the acceptable sizerange. If a predetermined number of sample parts from the batch is notwithin the acceptable range, the entire batch is discarded or recycled.In another aspect, the section being coated on each part is measured todetermine if the dimension of the section fits within the acceptablerange of dimensions for the part. Any parts that fit within theacceptable range of dimensions are coated by the apparatus of thepresent invention.

[0081] It should be understood that various changes and modifications tothe presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention andwithout diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intendedthat such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:
 1. A coating apparatus comprising: means for supporting a part; means positioned adjacent to the support means for applying a coating to a section of the part; and means positioned adjacent to the support means for measuring the section of the part, wherein the measuring means measures a dimension of a section of a part being coated while the coating means applies an amount of coating to the section of the part based on said dimension measurements and desired dimension of the section of the part.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support means includes a part support.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, which includes at least one shield connected to the part support.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support means includes a conveyor.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coating means includes a sprayer.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coating means includes a plurality of sprayers.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to each of the sprayers.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measuring means includes a laser generator and a laser receiver, said laser generator positioned adjacent to one side of the support means and said laser receiver positioned adjacent to an opposing side of the support means.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the housings each include a transparent member connected to said housing.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each transparent member is removably connected to the housing.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, which includes an excess coating reducer connected positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, which includes a display device in communication with the measuring means and which displays the dimension measurements of the section of the part.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the support means.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, which includes a display device which displays the dimensional measurements of the section of the part.
 16. A coating apparatus comprising: a part support; a sprayer positioned adjacent to the part support; and a part measurer positioned adjacent to the part support, wherein the part measurer is operable to measure a dimension of a section of a part which is supported by the part support and coated by the sprayer as the sprayer applies an amount of coating to the section of the part based on said dimension measurements and desired dimension of the section of the part.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the part support includes a conveyor.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, which includes a display device operable to display the dimension measurements of the section of the part.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to the sprayer.
 20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the part measurer includes a laser generator and a laser receiver, said laser generator positioned adjacent to one side of the part support and said laser receiver positioned adjacent to an opposing side of the part support.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein each housing includes a transparent member connected to said housing.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22, which includes an excess coating reducer positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 24. The apparatus of claim 16, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the part support.
 25. A coating apparatus comprising: a part support; a part measurer positioned adjacent to the part support, said part measurer operable to measure a section of a part supported by the part support; a sprayer positioned adjacent to the part support, said sprayer operable to apply an amount of coating to said section of the part based on a plurality of measurements of the section taken by the part measurer and the desired dimension of the section of the part; and a display device in communication with the part measurer, said display device operable to display the measurements of the section of the part while the coating is applied to the part by the sprayer.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the part support includes a conveyor.
 27. The apparatus of claim 25, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to the sprayer.
 28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the part measurer includes a laser generator and a laser receiver, said laser generator positioned adjacent to one side of the part support and said laser receiver positioned adjacent to an opposing side of the part support.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein each housing includes a transparent member connected to said housing.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30, which includes an excess coating reducer positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 32. The apparatus of claim 25, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the part support.
 33. A coating apparatus comprising: a part support adapted to support a part; a laser generator and a laser receiver positioned on opposing sides of the part support, said the laser generator operable to project a laser beam onto a section of the part supported by the part support, said laser receiver operable to receive the laser beam to take measurements of said section of the part; a sprayer positioned adjacent to the part support, said sprayer operable to apply an amount of coating to the section of the part based on said measurements and desired dimension of the section of the part; and a display device in communication with the laser receiver, said display device operable to display said measurements.
 34. The coating apparatus of claim 33, wherein the part support includes a conveyor.
 35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the laser generator and the laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 36. The apparatus of claim 35, which includes a transparent member connected to each housing.
 37. The apparatus of claim 36, which includes an excess coating reducer positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 38. The apparatus of claim 33, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to the sprayer.
 39. The apparatus of claim 33, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the part support.
 40. A coating apparatus comprising: a part support; a sprayer positioned adjacent to the part support; a part measurer including a laser generator and a laser receiver positioned on opposing sides of the part support; an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the part support opposite from the sprayer; and a display device positioned to face an operator, wherein the part measurer is operable to measure a dimension of a section of a part being coated, the display device is operable to display the measurements of the dimension to the operator, the sprayer is operable to apply an amount of coating to the section of the part based on said measurements and a desired dimension of the section of the part and the exhaust duct is operable to exhaust excess coating that does not adhere to the part.
 41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the part support includes a conveyor.
 42. The apparatus of claim 40, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to the sprayer.
 43. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein each housing include a transparent member connected to said housing.
 45. The apparatus of claim 44, which includes an excess coating reducer positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 46. The apparatus of claim 40, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the part support.
 47. A coating apparatus comprising: a part support; a plurality of sprayers positioned adjacent to the part support; and a part measurer positioned adjacent to the part support, wherein the part measurer is operable to take measurements of a dimension of a section of a part supported by the part support and being coated while at least one of the sprayers applies an amount of coating to the section of the part based on said measurements and a desired dimension of the section of the part.
 48. The apparatus of claim 47, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to each of the sprayers.
 49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the part support includes a conveyor.
 50. The apparatus of claim 47, which includes a display device controlled by the processor and operable to display the measurements of the section of the part.
 51. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the part measurer includes a laser generator and a laser receiver, said laser generator positioned adjacent to one side of the part support and said laser receiver positioned adjacent to an opposing side of the part support.
 52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 53. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein each housing includes a transparent member connected to said housing.
 54. The apparatus of claim 53, which includes an excess coating reducer positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 55. The apparatus of claim 47, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the part support.
 56. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein each of the sprayers is operable to apply a different coating to the section of the part.
 57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the coatings include a base coating, a middle coating and a top coating.
 58. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein each of the sprayers includes a spray control which enables the sprayers to apply the coatings at different rates.
 59. A coating apparatus for applying a coating to a section of a part, said apparatus comprising: support means for supporting the part; means positioned adjacent to the support means for applying a coating to the section of the part; means positioned adjacent to the support means for measuring the section of the part; and means for controlling the support means, coating means and measuring means, said controlling means operable to cause the measuring means to measure a dimension of the section of the part being coated while causing the coating means to continue to apply an amount of coating to the section of the part based on the measurements and desired dimension of the section of the part.
 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the support means includes a part support.
 61. The apparatus of claim 60, which includes at least one shield connected to the part support.
 62. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the support means includes a conveyor.
 63. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the coating means includes a sprayer.
 64. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the coating means includes a plurality of sprayers.
 65. The apparatus of claim 64, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to each of the sprayers.
 66. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the measuring means includes a laser generator and a laser receiver, said laser generator positioned adjacent to one side of the support means and said laser receiver positioned adjacent to an opposing side of the support means.
 67. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the housings each include a transparent member connected to said housing.
 69. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein each transparent member is removably connected to the housing.
 70. The apparatus of claim 68, which includes an excess coating reducer positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 71. The apparatus of claim 59, which includes a display device in communication with the control means and which displays the measurements of the section of the part.
 72. The apparatus of claim 59, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the support means.
 73. A coating apparatus for applying a coating to a section of a part, said apparatus comprising: a part support; a sprayer positioned adjacent to the part support; a part measurer positioned adjacent to the part support; and a processor which controls the part support, sprayer and part measurer to measure a dimension of the section of a part supported by the part support and being coated while causing the sprayer to apply an amount of coating to the section of the part based on said measurements and desired dimension of the section of the part.
 74. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein the part support includes a conveyor.
 75. The apparatus of claim 73, which includes a display device controlled by the processor and which displays said measurements of the section of the part.
 76. The apparatus of claim 73, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to the sprayer.
 77. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein the part measurer includes a laser generator and a laser receiver, said laser generator positioned adjacent to one side of the part support and said laser receiver positioned adjacent to an opposing side of the part support.
 78. The apparatus of claim 77, wherein the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 79. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein each housing includes a transparent member connected to said housing.
 80. The apparatus of claim 79, which includes an excess coating reducer positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 81. The apparatus of claim 73, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the part support.
 82. A coating apparatus for applying a coating to a section of a part, said apparatus comprising: a part support; a sprayer positioned adjacent to the part support; a part measurer including a laser generator and a laser receiver positioned on opposing sides of the part support; an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to and on an opposing side of the part support from the sprayer; a display device positioned adjacent to the part support; and a processor which controls with the part support, sprayer, part measurer, and display device to simultaneously measure a dimension of the section of a part supported by the part support and being coated, display the measurements to an operator, cause the sprayer to apply an amount of coating to the section of the part based on the measurements and desired dimension of the section of the part and exhaust excess coating from the sprayer that does not adhere to the part.
 83. The apparatus of claim 82, wherein the part support includes a conveyor.
 84. A coating apparatus for applying a coating to a section of a part, said apparatus comprising: a part support; a plurality of sprayers positioned adjacent to the part support; a part measurer positioned adjacent to the part support; and a processor which controls the part support, sprayers and part measurer to measure a dimension of a section of a part supported by the part support and being coated while causing the sprayer to apply an amount of coating to the section of the part based on said measurements and desired dimension of the section of the part.
 85. The apparatus of claim 84, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to each of the sprayers.
 86. A coating apparatus comprising: means for supporting a part; means positioned adjacent to the support means for applying a coating to a section of the part; and means positioned adjacent to the support means for measuring a section of the part, wherein the measuring means is operable to measure a parameter of the section of the part being coated while the coating means applies an amount of coating to the section of the part based on the parameter measurement and desired parameter measurement of the section of the part.
 87. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the support means includes a part support.
 88. The apparatus of claim 87, which includes at least one shield connected to the part support.
 89. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the support means includes a conveyor.
 90. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the coating means includes a sprayer.
 91. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the coating means includes a plurality of sprayers.
 92. The apparatus of claim 91, which includes a coating communication line and an air communication line connected to each of the sprayers.
 93. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the measuring means includes a laser generator and a laser receiver, said laser generator positioned adjacent to one side of the support means and said laser receiver positioned adjacent to an opposing side of the support means.
 94. The apparatus of claim 93, wherein the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in a housing.
 95. The apparatus of claim 94, wherein the housings each include a transparent member connected to said housing.
 96. The apparatus of claim 95, wherein each transparent member is removably connected to the housing.
 97. The apparatus of claim 95, which includes an excess coating reducer connected to the frame and positioned adjacent to the transparent member of each housing.
 98. The apparatus of claim 86, which includes a display device in communication with the measuring means and operable to display the parameter measurements of the section of the part.
 99. The apparatus of claim 86, which includes an exhaust duct positioned adjacent to the support means.
 100. The apparatus of claim 86, which includes a display device which displays the parameter measurements of the section of the part.
 101. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the parameter is at least one of: a dimension of a section of the part; a thickness of a coating applied to the section of the part; and a thickness of a plurality of coatings applied to the section of the part. 